Chennai Fashion Week at The Westin, turned out to be where the party was this weekend. Choreographed by Karun Raman, the two-day event saw a mixture of designers, both established and upcoming, in a series of shows. The line-up included Studio 9696, Swathi, Santhosh Kumar, Sarath Krishnan, Ritu Kumar, as well as Mathusha and Indrajith from Sri Lanka. Sticking to the fashion week format, the sequences were back-to-back, complete with celebrity muses and ‘showstoppers’. A welcome twist was the music, with interesting choices to accompany the choreography. Studio 9696 incorporated a live performance, while Mathusha and Indrajith had a signature Sri Lankan sound for theirs.
Many of the same faces were then seen at the launch of Etc Restaurant and Café, the brainchild of Ravoofa Kamal. Turns out the young lady has an interesting background that includes everything from designing clothes for TV stars to managing and producing blockbuster shows. Which not only explained the presence of several popular television personalities, but the set up of the new venue, which is fun, quirky and a place you’d want to spend time at. From murals of Chennai monuments to life-sized board games splashed on the walls, along with a boutique and gallery area that displays art, our hosts tell us, the idea is to indulge and make it more than just a cup of coffee.
The food trail continued with the launch of Shaken and Stirred, a book by Michelin star celebrity chef Vikas Khanna at Crowne Plaza. Talking about the book, which features non-alcoholic beverages for summer, Khanna shared early childhood memories of experiencing typical Indian flavours, like cumin, mint and lemon, which led him to his quest of documenting flavours and scents from around the world. His journey gave him insights on what is mixable, edible, and, most importantly, what can stimulate and benefit us in a positive way. Guests were served mocktails from the book, along with their very own copy. No surprise that the poster boy for Indian cuisine had the ladies lining up ­to have their copies autographed.